With Roxas, Morning…

This morning marked the start of the third day since Roxas fought Axel. That meant today was the day he, Link, and Sidon were to enter Vah Ruta. He currently sat within a chair holding Bond of Flame and Keyblade of Heart out before him.

Out of the four keyblades he could use, Roxas found out that Bond of Flame could transform into a pair of chakram not to dissimilar from Axel's. While it did make him wonder if the other three had their own transformations, it made Roxas determined to learn how to fight with them.

Roxas heard a knocking at his door and assumed it was Link. "Come in!"

He was surprised to see Sidon enter the room. "I am sorry to intrude, but I wanted to check in on you after our prior conversation."

"Ah, you don't have to worry." Roxas nodded. "Link helped me understand that blaming myself for what happened is ridiculous." He looked at Bond of Flame. "Everything that happened that night was because of the Organization."

"I'm glad to hear that you don't blame yourself." Sidon grinned. "I certainly don't. If anything, despite what the elders think of you and Link, I've come to consider you both good friends."

"I'm sure Link has come to think the same of you." Roxas thought back to what he said to Axel shortly before they fought. "I do to."

Sidon approached the Nobody and held out a hand. "Then, let's work together and put a stop to Vah Ruta."

Roxas made his keyblades vanish before standing and shaking the offered hand. "Yeah."

With Link

When Link awoke that morning, he changed into the Zora armor feeling better about his own guilt over the situation. When he'd said what he said to Roxas, it put a lot into perspective for the hero. While he did fail in his duties as the hero, the Champions fell to Calamity Ganon.

The best thing he could do for them was reclaim their Divine Beasts, become stronger than the man he had been, and take down Calamity Ganon. Those goals would begin today with taking back Vah Ruta. When he was done putting the armor on, he noticed how different it seemed.

It was made up of several, different components. Its initial layer was a shirt and pants with small Zora scales dyed blue the only exception was a larger, silver scale just over where his heart would be. The material was very thin, and Link wondered about its protective capabilities.

It did not seem to be very sturdy, yet it did fit him quite well. His back, upper arms, and thighs were all protected by another layer of scale armor. This layer was made of thicker, brown scales that had a soft, leathery feel to them.

Pieces of metal had been placed to protect his extremities and the most vulnerable places. Surprisingly thin boots covered his feet while ending in a trio of webbed toes that his own toes slipped into. The gloves were similarly made with simple webbing between four of his fingers.

Finally, Link placed the helmet on his head. It was made of both a skull cap and a layer of Zora scale fabric that hung down behind his head, neck, and the sides of his face. The armor was incredibly light. Even the pieces of metal seemed far lighter than they should have been.

He wondered if Mipha had purposely made the armor to complement his acrobatic fighting style. Link produced one of his swords and tested his mobility in the center of the room by going through a few exercises with it in hand.

The armor clung to him like a second skin while never getting in the way of his movements. The pieces of metal were silent. They never clattered together or shifted uncomfortably. Link finally finished off his exercise with a quick backflip landing easily on his feet.

"Wow, Linny." Kodah, the female Zora innkeeper, had stepped into the room from the entryway.

There were no doorways, and she had probably been able to see him the entire time. The hero felt his cheeks grow hot with a blush.

"Sorry, I was just testing out the…" Link began.

"That's the armor Mipha made for you, isn't it?" Kodah asked while stepping forward and she received a nod in turn. "She worked for months making it. She would be happy to see you wearing it now. She wanted to give it to you but never could work up the courage."

"Yeah, she wanted me to marry her." Link stated calmly.

"That was her hope." The Zora paused and looked out of the open wall into the distance. "It took her a long time to gather all of the supplies, and once she had them, she refused to let anyone help. That silver scale…" Kodah poked Link's chest. "…that's Mipha's."

Link put his hand on the scale. "I almost wish my heart could return those feelings, but thinking on every memory I've managed to get, my heart just won't feel them." He nodded. "Still, I'll wear this armor today to honor the great friend I knew Mipha was."

"It looks good on you, Linny." Kodah smiled at that. "I know she'd be proud.

Distantly, Link heard the call of a horn. "What does that mean?"

"It's a call to battle." Kodah informed absently. "I haven't heard it in ages… Not since the Calamity."

Link ran out of the inn before remembering, in his haste, that Roxas had been in his own room. Before he could run back in, Roxas and Sidon ran out to join him.

"Link, Sidon, and Roxas!" Bazz called out as he ran up to the trio. "It's the Lizalfos. Somehow, they made it all the way up the river during the night. None of our scouts reported them."

"How close are they?" Link asked. "Roxas and I can…"

"There's no time." Sidon spoke up rather quickly. "A scouting party reported that the dam has been sabotaged. We think someone used explosive charges to create a weakness in its structural integrity. It's leaking, and it could break soon.

Our engineers are doing what they can, but if it's raining like this, they won't be able to slow it enough to fix it. We must get you two to the Divine Beast immediately to shut it down. Everything fell into place for the partners.

The rain, the sabotage, the Lizalfos, and maybe even the Lynel. These were not random, or even separate events. This had been a planned maneuver. Link and Roxas looked up at Sidon and saw that he realized it too.

"Then, what are waiting for?" Roxas asked. "We need to go now."

Link and Sidon nodded before the three of them headed off to the same bridge they had taken to the mountain. The journey to the East Reservoir Dam took far longer than was comfortable. The partners could tell that Sidon was worried about his soldiers fighting the Lizalfos without him.

When Link offered that someone else could help them with the Divine Beast, he shook his head. The East Reservoir Dam soon stood over them like a monolith, but they wasted no time admiring its architecture. They instead found the staircase that led to its top and began to climb.

Sidon ran up three steps at a time with the partners managing to keep up with his longer strides. Finally, they reached the top of the dam. In normal circumstances, there would have been a walkway at the top of the dam with stairs that led down to lower levels for access to its controls.

The heavy rain had caused the water level to rise and completely cover the walkway, flood the interior, and even threaten to begin pouring over the dam's lip. As they waded out into the water, the partners looked across the lake and saw the distant Divine Beast.

Its trunk was still pointed to the sky, and a cloud of mist and water sprayed out from it forming the dark clouds overhead. It was positioned in the center of the massive lake leaving Link no way to reach it alone.

The hero looked to the Nobody. "Can you walk on water?"

"Not alone, but a spell is coming to me." Roxas nodded. "I should be fine."

"In that case Link…" Sidon wading into the water until he reached the end of the submerged, stone walkway. "You'll have to ride on my back while I swim. When we get closer, it is going to start attacking. You will just need to hold on when that happens.

Roxas, you and I need to do our best to get close enough for you to use your magic and Link to use his arrows." Sidon hesitated. "Try not to hit the water with shock arrows or magic. I don't know how far the electricity will travel."

Link nodded and approached Sidon which caused him to notice that the water was up to his knees. "How much longer before the dam breaks? Is there enough time?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. All that does matter is we must try."

Roxas summoned Bond of Flame. "Water!"

Water surrounded Roxas allowing him to move out onto the surface of the water while Sidon waded out into the deep water. Sora followed them expecting his gear to weigh him down but was shocked to find that they felt light in the water.

The hero was able to tread water effortlessly regardless of the weaponry on his back. It was surreal. He wasn't sure if this was an effect of the armor or the Zora weaponry he carried. Perhaps both. Either way, he was grateful for it.

"Are you ready?" Sidon asked while moving closer to Link.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Link moved closer and placed his hands on the Zora's shoulders.

Link, somewhat uncomfortably, straddled his back. As soon as his grip was secure, Sidon took off with Roxas moving alongside them. Both were going at a blistering pace. Link bounced on Sidon's back doing everything he could to hold on.

"How am I supposed to shoot arrows like this?" Link pondered.

They crossed the lake far faster than Link had assumed possible. Soon, they were close enough for the trio to begin making out some of the details on Divine Beast Vah Ruta which only grew larger and larger as they drew near. It was massive.

Elephant-like in shape, with four massive legs that somehow kept it above the depths of the lake, a thick, cylindrical body, a head with two large ear-like protrusions, and a long, segmented trunk. It was entirely mechanical in nature. Covered in gears and strange, red-purple lights.

Something on its body always seemed to be moving, spinning, or hissing steam. Without a doubt, it was Ancient Sheikah in nature. Its body was made of the same combination of metal and stone that all the other Sheikah structures had been made of.

"Link and Roxas, do you see the glowing sections just above her legs?" Sidon asked as they got closer.

He began to swim in a wide circle around Ruta. They were still far enough away that the Divine Beast did not react to their presence. It took a moment, but Roxas soon spotted and pointed them out. They could see four glowing spots of red light.

"The schematics we have for Ruta suggest that many of her functions are tied to those spots." Sidon slowed and looked at the partners to make sure they understood. "If you can hit all four of them with shock arrows or lighting magic, we think that it may shut her down."

The targets were, from what they could tell at this distance, large enough that hitting one with an arrow should not be difficult even in motion.

"Are you ready?" Sidon asked only to receive a nod from Link and Roxas reinforcing his Water spell. "Then, let's go!"

Sidon and Roxas angled directly for the Divine Beast with Link pulling his bow free. It was a newer bow of Zora design which was made to be used in wet climates. It was made of the same metal as their other weapons, and the bowstring was coated with something that repelled water.

Link wasn't sure about its design as he was convinced its range would not be as good as that of his Sheikah bow. At least it would not get damaged from the rain. The Divine Beast made a trumpeting sound.

"It's noticed us!" Sidon warned.

The Divine Beast turned in the water placing its side to them. Link watched in some amazement as the water next to the Divine Beast rose into the air. Roxas was currently wishing Tinker Bell was here since the ability to fly, rather than just glide, would be useful right about now.

The water took shape, and there was a sudden, familiar series of cracking noises that rang out. Where the water had been moments before, there were now jagged shards of ice whith each the length of a man's arm.

"It must really not like you!" Sidon called as the first ice spike shot straight at Link.

"What else is new?" Roxas sped in and slashed the ice spike apart. "Most monsters don't like us."

"This is different." Sidon commented. "Usually, it just throws blocks of ice at any Zora that get near it."

Ruta sent another ice spike at them, so Roxas took care of it too knowing that his friends didn't have many good options for dealing with this. Sure, Link could use his Cryonis rune, but that would be time consuming when he was perfectly free to handle this.

"I need to get closer!" Link shouted.

"That requires a new plan." Roxas had only been using Bond of Flame, so he now summon Keyblade of Hearts. "Sidon, focus on Link's request while I focus on defense."

"Understood!" Sidon exclaimed.

Sidon turned and swam straight for the Divine Beast. As an ice spike shot towards them, Roxas lunged at it and bisected it. He did the same to the next one that came while Link nocked an arrow and drew. As he did so, he felt the muscles in his arm clench as the shock arrow activated.

It was not a severe shock, but it was most certainly a noticeable one. Link pursed his lips and looked forward again while holding onto Sidon with his knees. Cracks sounded through the air as Ruta created more ice spikes. He tried to keep his aim as steady as possible.

Unfortunately, as he launched the sparking arrow, he knew immediately that his aim had been poor. Instead of striking the glowing node, the arrow hit the Divine Beast's side with a burst of electric energy. Though Ruta seemed to shudder slightly, that was all it accomplished.

"That's okay!" Sidon exclaimed as he and Roxas moved past the Divine Beast's front to its other side. "Try again!"

Link drew another arrow and felt the shock in his arm once more. Their maneuver around the Divine Beast had briefly slowed its defenses as it now had to create additional ice spikes on its opposite side. Link took aim and let the arrow streak through the air where it struck home.

It hit the red node with a blast of lightning, and the Divine Beast shuddered as electricity coursed around the light. It flickered before fading completely. Roxas and Link watched as the water spraying out of the trunk halted as well.

"That's it, Link!" Roxas declared. "Hurry, try to…"

Suddenly, his voice was cut off as he and Sidon were forced to make a sharp turn which nearly unseated Link from the prince. A massive wall of ice had suddenly formed with a sharp crack directly in front of them.

"It's trying to box us in!" Sidon voiced.

This time, Roxas was prepared for it as he rushed forward slashing through the ice and giving the trio a clear shot out. Link took the chance to draw another arrow even as they were further from the next node then he'd have liked. He waited for the right moment before releasing the arrow.

It sailed through the air and struck high on the red node. It started sparking immediately, and the Divine Beast trumpeted again. Link thought it sounded more desperate now somehow. Overhead, the rain had begun to lessen.

"It's working!" Sidon yelled as he and Roxas began to loop around the backside. "Keep it up!"

Link prepped the next arrow while Roxas kept his eyes peeled for the next counter attack.

It did not immediately come which confused the Nobody. "Had the second node shut down its ability to defend itself?"

Just as Link nocked the next arrow, something splashed behind them. Roxas looked back and yelled out in surprise at what he saw a mere arm's length behind Sidon's feet. Link looked back as well and saw a giant ball of ice rolling through the water at a blistering pace.

"Sidon, speed up!" Roxas moved to intercept it. "Link, get those nodes down!"

Roxas held out Keyblade of Heart. "Fire Bomb!"

A sphere of fire magic formed before Roxas launched it at the spiked ice ball. It exploaded against the sphere leaving it with cracks. They quickly melted further breaking the ice ball apart. To Roxas' dismay, it was not alone.

Another spiked ball had been following right behind the first, and the leftover pieces from the previous attack did nothing to slow it. Roxas took a deep breath before moving to meet it head on bisecting the sphere.

"There's more coming!" Sidon called out warningly.

There was no need since Roxas had already seen them. He had Bond of Flame changed into its two chakrams which he held in his right hand.

"Firaga!" Roxas exclaimed.

He imbued both chakram with his strongest fire spell before hurling them, one after the other, at the spike ice balls. They hit their intended targets taking out two of the ice balls. Roxas then sped in cleaving the last one with his remaining keyblade.

Link, immediately after, took aim and fired a shock arrow at the third node. The reaction in the Divine Beast as the arrow found its target was immediate. The entire construct shuddered and the red lights that covered its body flickered before steadying.

"One more!" Sidon declared.

Link pulled another arrow from his quiver and readied himself to take aim. Suddenly, the water in front of them became a sheet of ice to the point that not even Roxas could react fast enough. All three of them ended up on the sheet of ice rolling along it.

Roxas was the first to recover and immediately jumped up to bisect another ice spike sent their way. "Link and Sidon, find a way to get that last node." Several ice spikes formed above them, so Roxas summon both his keyblades back to his hands. "I'll cover you!"

Link nodded as he grabbed up his bow and nocked an arrow before running to a place where he could get a shot off. The spikes came down with a renewed ferocity, but Roxas was there cleaving and bisecting them before they could ever hit Link.

Sidon got into his own position presenting his back to Link. "Link, I'll give you a boost!"

Link immediately sprinted that way and ran up Sidon's back before leaping with all the leg strength he could muster. The hero managed to twirl around midair as everything slowed down much like when he perfectly avoided an attack.

The only sound that Link could hear was his own breathing and the creak of the bow as he drew the arrow to his cheek. He took aim, and the arrow sparked to life. The hero released the arrow and crashed down into the water below.

The electrified arrow flew and struck the final glowing red node in its center. The Divine Beast trumpeted once more as the red lights all over its body flickered rapidly and died. Its trunk limply crashed down to the water.

Sidon swam over to Link while Roxas used Water to join them. Overhead, the rain stopped. When the trip looked up, they saw the clouds begin to break apart letting shafts of sunlight stream down. It was nearly blinding after being in the gloom of rain for the last several days.

"We did it." Sidon declared in awe. "The rain has stopped! This is wonderful!"

Link breathed a sigh of relief allowing himself a smile. Suddenly, the Divine Beast lurched back to life causing their hearts to sink as they watched the red lights flicker back on. Its legs extended further slowly lifting its body out of the water of the lake.

They all shared a look since this just hadn't been enough. Sure, the rain had been stopped, but the partners had not yet saved the Divine Beast. They had not yet removed Ganon's influence; the thing that had killed Mipha.

"Sidon, we need to get inside of it." Link declared firmly.

Sidon nodded. "I know where the entrance is."

Link climbed onto Sidon's back, and the group circled around the Divine Beast. Roxas kept watch making sure that the Divine Beast's defenses wouldn't come back online.

As they swam, Sidon spoke softly. "I've never been inside. None of us have. Not since my sister…" Sidon's eyes were locked on Ruta. "It never allowed us to get this close, you see. It was never that aggressive, but it would still protect itself. We just learned to give it a wide berth."

"How do you know where the entrance is?" Link asked curiously.

"I remember watching my sister disappear inside of it." Silence fell between the trio for a time before Sidon spoke again. "Link… Roxas… I cannot stay with you."

"You need to go to your soldiers." Roxas stated.

"I do." Sidon looked at them. "If they still fight the Lizalfos, my place will be by their side." He looked back towards the Divine Beast. "I wish I could accompany you, but I must obey my duty just as you must obey yours Link. Roxas, your place is by his side."

The pair remained silent. They knew this was a hard decision for the prince to make. Most likely, he had hoped that he could enter the Divine Beast with them. He would have if it wasn't for the Lizalfo attack. They approached the platform with Link and Roxas climbing onto it.

"Best of luck." Sidon declared with his voice more jovial than it was a moment ago. "Show the enemy no fear. Tonight, we will celebrate in Zora's Domain as victors and saviors of the land!"

Link smiled. "Roxas and I won't eat any raw trout tonight."

Sidon laughed and began to swim backwards. "I will make sure to have a fire made, so you can cook your own!" He lifted a hand in farewell. "Finish the job! I believe in you two!"

Sidon began swimming away at a rapid pace while the partners turned to the entrance of the Divine Beast. To their surprise, Mipha, transparent, stood in the entrance looking specifically at Link with a warm smile.

"Okay, maybe we were among the spirits of the dead when we rested at that graveyard." Roxas admitted to himself upon seeing this.

"Hello, Link." Mipha stated.

Link's Memory

The sun began to set on yet another failure as the day was dying along with the princess' hopes. Link slowed next to her as she faltered in her steps. The four champions were waiting for them at the entrance to the Lanayru Promenade.

"I... I can't face them," She whimpered. "I failed them. It didn't work!"

Link leaned in close and whispered, "You won't fail until you give up."

She gave him an appreciative glance. The four were all itching with anticipation.

As soon as they were together, Daruk spoke up. "Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?"

Zelda shook her head sadly. Link rested his hand on her shoulder. It was all he could do to try to comfort her. Just how long would this fabled power stay out of her reach? Hylia, even he was frustrated.

Revali stepped forward. "So, you didn't feel anything? No power at all?"

The princess hung her head. "I'm sorry, no."

"Then let's move on." Urbosa encouraged with a small nod. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help." She looked back up at the mountain. "After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mount Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We must keep looking for that... thing."

At Urbosa's words, Mipha drew in a little gasp. She looked as if a light had turned on in her brain. Link felt a prickle as his childhood friend looked directly at him.

"That's kind of you." Zelda stated. "Thank you."

"If I may…" Mipha began. "…I though you… Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words. I'm rather embarrassed to say it, but I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind. It helps when I think…"

The ground heaved and trembled without warning, as if Hyrule itself was shivering in fear. The group stumbled to regain their footing. Revali created an updraft and flew into the air. The champion gasped, and his eyes widening in horror. Lighting cracked through the sky before an inhuman roar echoed from the direction of Central Hyrule.

"It's here." Urbosa stated.

"This is it, then." Daruk agreed.

Mipha looked like she was about to run for the nearest body of water. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Revali confirmed as he landed.

Zelda's face grew pale. "It's awake… Ganon!"

Unnatural clouds spread across the sky darkening it. They were of thick black smoke with streaks of glowing magenta. Link could feel his pulse racing. His heart was beating against his ribs as if trying to escape the Calamity. He steadied the princess as she stumbled.

Daruk turned to her. "Let's stop wasting time. We're going to need everything we got to take that thing down." He raised his voice to the others. "Now, Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss!

Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack. This needs to be a unified assault." He clenched a giant fist and turned to Link. "Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support, but it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

Link nodded. "I understand."

"We should go." Urbosa took Zelda by the shoulders. "We need to get you someplace safe."

"No!" The Princess pulled away. "I am not a child anymore. I may not be much use on the battlefield, but there must be something I can do to help!"

"Are you sure about this, princess?" Daruk scratched his head. "It would be dangerous."

"I cannot stand by and watch." Zelda declared firmly.

"Well, I guess it's decided." Revali sniffed. "Just don't get in our way. You can go with your precious knight."

Link met Zelda's eyes with concern. Even fear. How would she react when they were surrounded by danger? She didn't know how to fight. She was untrained. Soft. He partially regretted the thought. She was not battle-hardened, but she did have an unshakable sense of discipline.

If she could stand in freezing waters for hours, maybe she could keep her head. Regardless, it was still too much of a risk. The deciding factor was the look in her eyes. She's failed at every attempt to access her sealing power up until now.

The least he could do for her was let her make her own decision about this. A new thought occurred to him as they set into motion. If praying wasn't the answer, then maybe a true need was. This coming battle could be what finally unlocks her gift.

"Come on!" Revali called from down the path. "We can't wait for the grass to grow!"

Revali immediately departed for Rito Village. Daruk had been right behind him after placing a hand on both Link and Zelda's shoulders. He'd tried to say something comforting. Ultimately, he'd told them that he would be there before rolling down the path towards Death Mountain

"I will ride for the desert immediately." Urbosa stated.

The Gerudo Chief showed little of the worry that she felt. Link knew she was doing that for Zelda.

"Ride well, Urbosa." Zelda's face betrayed her worry and fear.

It wasn't supposed to happen like this. They weren't ready, and all of them knew it.

Urbosa hugged Zelda and kissed the top of her head. "Be strong, Little Bird." She released her and mounted her stallion. "Keep her safe, Link!"

The chief galloped west along the Lanayru Road towards Kakariko Village. She had the longest distance to travel and would be the last one to join the fight against Ganon. Now, only Mipha remained. Though the last to leave, she would reach her Divine Beast first.

"I know that this seems hopeless." Mipha stepped forward and took Zelda's hands in her own. "But, we will find a way through this. I believe in you both."

"Thank you." Zelda stated genuinely.

"Princess, this is not the end." Mipha promised.

Zelda nodded silently. Mipha squeezed her fellow princes' hands tightly before releasing them and turning to Link. For a long time, she opened her mouth only to quickly shut it. For his part, Link didn't know what he could say to the woman that had been one of his closest friends.

He'd known her for such a long time, yet at that moment, it felt as though it hadn't been nearly long enough. Finally, Mipha cleared her throat and moved forward to embrace Link. He returned her embrace. Though he was not much taller than she was, she seemed small in his arms.

"Be safe, Link." Mipha stated. "I will be at the castle as soon as I can. Keep the princess safe, but…" She hesitated before pulling back enough for her to look up and meet Link's eyes again. "I will not be able to heal you while piloting Ruta. Do not take any unnecessary risks."

"I'll try." His voice was a whisper as he pulled back. "Be careful."

"I do not think I am the one in the most danger." Mipha looked as though there was something more she wanted to say, but she glanced at Zelda before sighing. "Be strong, my friend."

She leaped into the air, spread her arms, and dove into the Lanayru River.

Vah Ruta

"Mipha." Link's knees nearly buckled under the combined weight of the memory that flashed through his mind and the sight of her standing there.

Mipha remained silent allowing him to compose himself. Her expression was still as warm as before. Still as warm as the last time he'd seen her. Even though he had nothing after that moment, he knew in his heart that was their final good-bye.

Even though he knew the truth, Link's heart still sank upon seeing that she a spirit in much the same way King Rhoam had been.

"Yes." Mipha had read his expression, and her smile grew somber. "Ganon's trap was cleverer than any of us could have expected, wasn't it? We all had such hopes…"

"I'm sorry this happened." Link looked to Roxas before sighing. "Now, I'm back, and I'll make sure Ganon is defeated this time." He sighed. "Mipha, if you're hoping I remember everything, I don't. I've been gaining back what I can, but I don't even remember everything about you."

"You… do not remember?" Mipha asked shocked.

"The Shrine of Resurrection took my memories." Link informed. "I got a brief memory of us when I was playing with Bazz on the walkways, walking up Ploymus Mountain, and I just remembered the moment Ganon broke free."

"Oh Link… that is awful." Mipha's voice was heavy with emotion. "I am so sorry."

She moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment, she felt solid. Then, it was gone. She pulled away and, to his shock, she appeared fainter now than before. He could see through her as though that simple act had taken much out of her.

"But, you are beginning to remember?" Mipha inquired to make certain.

"Like I've said, I've remembered a little." Link replied. "Quick flashes of events."

"Good." Mipha gave him a small smile. "I am sure you will come to remember everything you lost." Her eyed widened upon realizing what the hero was wearing. "You are wearing my armor. It fits you better than I could have hoped."

"I'm honored you made this for me." Link stated.

"Did… Did they tell you what the purpose of the armor was?" Mipha asked.

"Yeah…" Link stated somberly.

"Oh, this is a little silly of me." She quickly shook her head. "Being embarrassed now. I have been dead for one hundred years, after all."

"I'm sorry," Link stated. "Standing here, I want to say that I would have accepted this; however, my heart won't let me say it." He was so confused. "I just… I don't understand why. All I can say is that I know you were my closest friend."

"I believe I know why, but I'm certain you'll remember one day." Mipha genuinely smiled. "It is enough just to see you alive again." She then looked to Roxas who was more than content to let them have their moment. "Who is this?"

"I'm Roxas, your majesty." The Nobody nodded. "I've been helping Link since he woke up."

"Then, I must thank you for looking after him." Mipha smiled before looking out at the lake. "It seems you two managed to stop the rain. That is good. I imagine that the water level was getting high enough to risk damaging one of the dams."

Now, both boys were noticing how faint Mipha had gotten.

"Actually, I, Link, and Sidon…" Roxas began.

She gasped and looked at him with widening eyes. "That was Sidon?"

"Considering how much time we know has passed, it's not surprising you wouldn't recognize him." Roxas stated.

I haven't been able to leave Ruta since I… He's grown so much." Mipha stated quietly. "He was only a child when Ganon awoke. I still remember training him how to swim up waterfalls. I told Princess Zelda that I had to make sure he was ready if something happened to me."

"I think you trained him well," Link stated as he remembered the prince's ability to swim up waterfalls. "He's a powerful warrior, too. Roxas, a Rito named Kass, I, and he killed a Blue-Manned Lynel that was on Ploymus Mountain mere days ago."

She looked at him confused. "There was another one?" Link nodded. "And you went with him? That is good… Fitting."

Silence settled around them. Ruta shuddered slightly, and Roxas looked back towards the entrance. It was shadowy inside. The Nobody looked to the princess and hero hesitant to break the comfortable silence between them.

Finally, he spoke. "Princess Mipha, I believe Link and I need to know what happened to you? How did you die?"

Mipha's gaze fell upon the dark entrance before she nodded. "Ganon… It laid a trap for me like I presume it laid for the other champions. When I boarded the Divine Beasts, there was something awaiting me. I tried to fight it, but it was so strong."

"The Guardians attacked without the Divine Beast to hinder it." Link closed his hand into a fist.

Mipha's gaze moved from the doorway to Link. "Yes." She paused moved to the entrance before turning to face them. "Link and Roxas, I am trapped here. Ruta is trapped as well. The blight left here by Ganon taints this place and distorts it into a prison."

Free the Divine Beasts from Ganon's malice. That was what Impa said. Link hadn't been sure what she had meant, and it was likely she hadn't even meant this.

Link grimaced before stepping closer to Mipha. "You're trapped here?"

Mipha nodded. "I have not been able to leave Ruta for the past one hundred years. It has just been me and… it."

The pair saw something of the horror she had experienced reflected on her face. Both knew that the former champion hadn't deserved this. None of them did.

Link's eyes hardened. "If we destroy the blight, will it free you and the Divine Beast?"

"I believe so." Mipha paused. "If you do, I believe I can still help you with Ganon. Ruta and I have a… connection. I can still feel her… ever so faintly. Perhaps, if I am not being blocked, I may still be able to control her somehow."

"It sounds like we know what our next course of action is." Link drew the sword and shield he'd been gifted since coming to Zora's domain. "You ready, Roxas?"

Roxas summoned Bond of Flame and Keyblade of Heart. "Yeah, let's go."

They stepped past the ghostly form of Mipha and into the heart of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.

UltimateAvengers: Thank you.

DARKPHANTOM13: Riku will come back into the story sometime next arc.

ultima-owner: Yeah, they did